Headlight screen



vOct. 13, 1925- v 1,556,682 W. A. FARISH HEADLIGHT SCREEN Filed Nov. 7. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 gyvve ntoa M19. FCZ/dS/L.

4 Gamm 1,556,682 W. A. FARISH HEADLIGHT SCREEN Filed NOV. 7, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 13, 1925- v ed or loosened.

Patent d Oct. 13, 1925.

um'rso. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

wII-LIAIIA. rAnIsH, orfnonromr, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOB TO OWL HEADLIGHT scnnnn (70., INQ, OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, A CORPORATION OF VIRGINIA.

HEADLIGHT scnmm.

Application filed November 7, 1922. Serial K0 5983567.

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. FARISH, a citizenof the United States, residing at Norfolk, in the county of Norfolk and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Headlight Screens, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to screens for automobile headlights, and has as one of its primary objects to provide a screen which will permit the passageof light rays in a manner to intensely and most effectually illumi-' nate the road surface without any liability, however, of blinding anyone standing or traveling'in the path of the rays.

Another object of the invention is to. provide a headli ht screen which may be conveniently an economically manufactured and which will be substantial and capable of installation by any inexperienced person. The screen embodying the invention is of the louver type and another important object of the invention is to provide 'novel means for securing the slats of the louver in place within the annular member comprising the frame of the screen so that the slats will be securely held against displacement and prevented from becoming dlstort- Another important object of the invention is to disclose a method of finishing a headlight screen of the'louver type so that the maximum benefit will be obtained from the source of illumination without any blinding efi'ect being produced.

A further objectof the invention is to construct the slats in a novel manner contemplated to effectually reinforce them so as to prevent distortion and likewise render them so rigid as to substantially eliminate vibration under travel conditions.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an automobile headlight equipped with the screen embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the screen removed lookingat the face thereof;

Fig. 3 is a vertical front to rear sectional view through the screen and the headligh within which it is mounted;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 illustrating one manner in .which the screen is anchored against downward displacement;

Fig. 5 is-a similar view illustrating another manner in which the screen may be anchored; I

Fig. 6 is a vertical transverse sectional view through the louver portion of the screen and looking at the rear face thereof;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional. perspec tive view illustrating a modified manner in' which the louver slats may be secured in place.

In the drawings the numeral 1 indicates the shell or 'casin of an ordinary automo bile headlight an conoidal reflector which is mounted therein and is provided with the usual flange extending circumferentially of its open front and indicated by the numeral '3. This flange, as is usual, is provided in its facewith the usual annular channel 4 in which is arranged a packing 5 and against which packing the lens 6 is ordinarily placed and held by the usual removable rim 7 which is fitted onto the front of theshell 1. The headlight bulb is indicated by the numeral 8 and is arranged in the usual position within the reflector 3.

The screen embodying the invention is indicated in general by the numeral 9 and comprises an annular frame member 10 preferably formed from sheet metal of a suitable gage, although other material might be employed for the pu ose. The 0 ning defined by the frame 9 1s indicated y the numeral 11 and is left uncovered throughout approximately its lower half, the louver device occupying the upper portion of said opening. At the extreme top of the frame 10 the opening 11 has its wallextended chordal to the frame as indicated by the numeral 12, and the louver slats, which are indicated ingeneral by the numeral 13, are supported within the frame parallel to the said edge 12 and to each other. Each of the slats 13 comprises a stri 14 of sheet the numeral 2 theusual 1 metal or any other material ound suitable form more or less closely to the contour of the inner surface of the reflector 2. The

strips 14 are provided each with a longitudinally extending corrugation or crimp indicated by the numeral 16 and this crimp or corrugation serves to stiffen and reinforce the slat .so as to prevent its distortion and render it rigid and substantial. Likewise the corrugation serves to prevent undue vibration of the slat under conditions of travel.

In preparing the frame 10 to mount the slats comprising the louver, portions of the frame at the opposite sides of the upper half of the openm 11 are struck in and constitute rearwar ly converging seating flanges 17. The said flanges 17 are corrugated at suitable intervals throughout their lengths and each of these corrugations, indicated by the numeral 18, provides a shoulder i19 upon which the end edgeof the respective slat to be supported is disposed, the slat being soldered at its end to the said shoulder and in the angle formed by the corrugation. tended upwardly and rearwardly at angles to the plane of the frame 10, and consequently the slats 13 are correspondingly inclined although they all occupy planes parallel to one another.

In installing the screen, it is disposed between the acking 5 and'the rear side of the headlig t lens 6, with the louver slats 13 projecting rearwardly and upwardly from the plane of the frame of the screen and the plane of the lens. With'the screen thus mounted, light rays will be prevented from passing in an upward direction from the reflector and through the lens, and, on

the other hand, will be directed at the proper angle onto the road surface, the angle of inclination of the slats being such a to deflect the rays reflected from the upper and inner portions of the reflecting surface downwardly onto-the road surface at the proper angle. It will be evident that the light rays falling upon the faces of the flanges 17 will be reflected so as to be thrown at opposite sides of the roadway. 7

As a means for anchoring the screen and preventing its downward displacement or displacement in any other directionwith relation to the headlight lens, the frame 10 of the screen is provided at its upper side at spaced points with upwardly radially projecting ears 20 which are adapted to be bent over the rim of the lens, as illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings and as indicated by the numeral 21, or to be bent rearwardly and over the portion of the flange 3 of the reilector which houses the packing 5 and as The corrugations 18 are exindicated by the numeral 22 in Fig. 5 of the drawings.

The screen is, as previously stated, preferably of sheet metal, and there is applied toall portions of its surface, and, more especially the surfaces of the louver slats, a coating 23 of paint of a flat white color, or a coating of some other character may be employed to provide a reflecting surface. It has been found by actual test that by em ploying paint of this color and kind, the most satisfactory results may be obtained.

If desired, the ends of the slats 13, instead of being soldered in place or brazed, or spot welded, as would be the case where they are seated in the angles formed by the corrugations 18 as previously described may be retained between crimps or more definitely formed corrugations 24 as shown in Fi 7 of thedrawings, and by the use of a punc or the like, an indentation 25 may be made in one of the pairs of corrugations confining the edge of each strip for the purpose of more securely anchoring the strip.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A headlight screen comprising a frame having spaced corrugated flanges, and louver slats seated and supported at their ends in the valleys of the corrugations in said flanges. v

2. A headlight screen comprising a frame having spaced corrugated flanges extending at an angle of inclination to theplane of the frame, and louver slats seated and supported at their ends in the valleys of the corrugations in said flanges:

3. A headlight screen-comprising an an nular frame having opposite side portions turned rearwardly from its plane to provide supporting flanges, and a plurality of louver slats supported by said flanges and extending in parallelism between the same, each of said slats comprising a strip of sheet material provided with a longitudinal reinforcement.

4. A headlight screen comprising an annular frame having opposite side portions turned rearwardly from its plane to provide supporting flanges and a plurality of louver slats supported byv said. flanges and extending in parallelism between the same, each of said slats comprisinga strip of sheet material provided with a longitudinal corrugation. I

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

-WILLIAM A. FARISH. 

